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When we think about people who are experiencing homelessness, we usually
think about adults. The fact is millions of children experience homelessness
every year. These children sleep in cars, shelters and abandoned buildings.
They relocate constantly, which results in their being pulled out of
school and away from friends. Every child deserves to live and grow
in a safe, secure environment. Unfortunately, America has let these
children down.
Some Facts About Families and Children Who Are Homeless:
- Families are now the fastest growing segment of the homeless population
and account for almost 40 percent of the nation’s homeless. On any
given night, 1.2 million children are homeless.
- Most children become homeless because their mothers and fathers
are unable to find affordable housing. Traumatic events such as unemployment,
illness, accidents, or violence and abuse further limit their ability
to secure decent housing.
- The average homeless family is composed of a young, single mother
and two children under the age of six.
- Children between the ages of six and 17 years old who are homeless
struggle with high rates of mental health problems.
- Nearly one in three children who are homeless have at least
one major mental disorder that interferes with daily activities
compared to nearly one in five school-age children who are not
homeless.
- Almost half of children who are homeless have anxiety, depression
or withdrawal compared to less than one in five other school-age
children.
- And more than one in three children who are homeless manifest
delinquent and aggressive behavior compared to less than one in
five other school-age children.
- Homeless children are hungry more than twice as often as other children,
and two-thirds worry that they won’t have enough to eat.
- Homeless children are more often in fair or poor health, are four
times more likely to have asthma, and are four times more likely to
have a low birth weight and need special care right after birth compared
to children who are not homeless.
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- Unhealthy living conditions can weaken a child’s resistance to disease.
Communal conditions of shelter life – including overcrowding and shared
food preparation – increase the risk of disease and infection.
- Children who grow up on the streets are likely to repeat the lifestyle
with their own children.
How Can We Help?
Americans must ensure that homelessness does not become a family
tradition. Use the facts and statistics provided above to advocate
for community-based treatment and support services for families, which
enable them to find homes, receive appropriate physical and mental health
treatment, and rebuild their lives in the community. Inform your local
and state governments that if these services are not funded and successfully
implemented, the social and economical costs to society will have a
devastating impact on everyone’s future.
For more information, contact:
National Mental Health Association
2000 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone 800-969-NMHA (6642)
TTY 800-433-5959
Fax 703-684-5968
Email: infoctr@nmha.org
Resources:
National Alliance To End Homelessness. www.endhomelessness.org
National Coalition for the Homeless. www.nationalhomeless.org.
The Better Homes Fund. “America’s Homeless Children: New Outcasts.”
A Public Policy Report from the Better Homes Fund. Newton, MA.
1999.
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